Under The Covers: The Best Album Art of 2011

*Note: Obviously, blogging has been sporadic this past fall, due to work, traveling, lack of inspiration, etc. Expect a Waterloo Sunset redesign/rethink/relaunch in early 2012. Thanks for reading.

Your mother admonished you, "never judge a book by its cover." But when it comes to music, a record's cover can set the general tone and aesthetic like the first welcoming steps into a deeper ocean. With the digitization of everything, album art seems to be going by the wayside, but there will always be the select few that know how important it is to catch an eye in order to catch an ear.

Below are some of the best album covers of the year, not limited to any one genre or theme but picked based on typography, photography, and overall graphic design. If you think of any we missed, let us know in the comments. We're always up for a good look.

Dirty Beaches // Badlands

Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells // Everything's Getting Older

Richard Swift // Walt Wolfman


*More covers after the jump below:

Hans-Joachim Roedelius // Selbstportrait

Arrange // Plantation

The Soft Moon // Total Decay

Barn Owl // Lost In The Glare

Ear Pwr // Ear Pwr

Fleet Foxes // Helplessness Blues

Wooden Shjips // West

Tammar // Visits

Battles // Gloss Drop

Iron & Wine // Kiss Each Other Clean